Sidetracked

In Sidetracked, "Diana Harmon Asher tells an entertaining story about a boy picking his way through the potholes and pitfalls of puberty, with a little help from his friends" (Richard Peck, Newbery Medal winner). An ABA Indies Introduce Book An ALA/ALSC Notable Children's Book Parents' Choice Award, Fiction, Recommended If middle school were a race, Joseph Friedman wouldn't even be in last place—he'd be on the sidelines. With an overactive mind and phobias of everything from hard-boiled eggs to gargoyles, he struggles to understand his classes, let alone his fellow classmates. So he spends most of his time avoiding school bully Charlie Kastner and hiding out in the Resource Room, a safe place for misfit kids like him. But then, on the first day of seventh grade, two important things happen. First, his Resource Room teacher encourages (i.e.